U.S. patent application number 17/181494 was filed with the patent office on 2022-08-25 for location-based determinations.
The applicant listed for this patent is Stripe, Inc.. Invention is credited to David C. Doran, Noam Samuel, Ellen Stanfill, Alexander Thiemann.
Application Number | 20220272159 17/181494 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | |
Filed Date | 2022-08-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20220272159 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Samuel; Noam ; et
al. |
August 25, 2022 |
LOCATION-BASED DETERMINATIONS
Abstract
A method for location-dependent determination comprises:
determining, with one or more processors, a geographic location of
a user's electronic device using first data; in response to
determining the determined geographic location is insufficient for
performing a location-dependent determination, requesting second
data to determine an updated geographic location of the user's
electronic device; performing, with an Application Programming
Interface (API), the location-dependent determination based on the
updated geographic location; and completing, with the API, a
transaction using the location-dependent determination.
Inventors: |
Samuel; Noam; (San
Francisco, CA) ; Stanfill; Ellen; (San Francisco,
CA) ; Doran; David C.; (Ashbourne, IR) ;
Thiemann; Alexander; (San Francisco, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Stripe, Inc. |
San Francisco |
CA |
US |
|
|
Appl. No.: |
17/181494 |
Filed: |
February 22, 2021 |
International
Class: |
H04L 29/08 20060101
H04L029/08; G06Q 30/04 20060101 G06Q030/04; G06Q 30/06 20060101
G06Q030/06 |
Claims
1. A method for location-dependent determination, comprising:
determining, with one or more processors, a geographic location of
a user's electronic device using first data; in response to
determining the determined geographic location is insufficient for
performing a location-dependent determination, requesting second
data to determine an updated geographic location of the user's
electronic device; performing, with an Application Programming
Interface (API), the location-dependent determination based on the
updated geographic location; and completing, with the API, a
transaction using the location-dependent determination.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data is an Internet
Protocol (IP) address of the user's electronic device and the
second data is a postal code entered by a user into the electronic
device.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the requesting requests the
electronic device's location based on a global positioning system
reading.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the requesting requests the user
to enter a shipping postal code.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing the
location-dependent determination is further based on a tax code of
an item to be purchased in the transaction.
6. The method of claim 5, further comprising generating a product
catalog including tax codes for items available for purchase.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction includes a
purchase of an item and the location-dependent determination
includes tax associated with the purchase.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the location-dependent
determination includes calculating an authorization session to
access a computer network and the completing includes granting
access to the electronic device to access the computer network for
the session.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the location-dependent
determination includes calculating a type of electricity to
transmit to a location of the user's electronic device and the
completing includes transmitting the electricity to the determined
location.
10. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising
instructions which, when read by a machine, cause the machine to
perform operations, the operations comprising, at least:
determining a geographic location of a user's electronic device
using first data; in response to determining the determined
geographic location is insufficient for performing a
location-dependent determination, requesting second data to
determine an updated geographic location of the user's electronic
device; performing, with an Application Programming Interface
(API), the location-dependent determination based on the updated
geographic location; and completing, with the API, a transaction
using the location-dependent determination.
11. A computing apparatus for location-dependent determinations,
the computing apparatus comprising: one or more hardware
processors; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed
by at least one processor among the processors, cause the system to
perform operations comprising, at least: determining a geographic
location of a user's electronic device using first data; in
response to determining the determined geographic location is
insufficient for performing a location-dependent determination,
requesting second data to determine an updated geographic location
of the user's electronic device; performing, with an Application
Programming Interface (API), the location-dependent determination
based on the updated geographic location; and completing, with the
API, a transaction using the location-dependent determination.
12. The computing apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first data is
an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the user's electronic device
and the second data is a postal code entered by a user into the
electronic device.
13. The computing apparatus of claim 11, wherein the requesting
requests the electronic device's location based on a global
positioning system reading.
14. The computing apparatus of claim 11, wherein the requesting
requests the user to enter a shipping postal code.
15. The computing apparatus of claim 11, wherein the performing the
location-dependent determination is further based on a tax code of
an item to be purchased in the transaction.
16. The computing apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions
further configure the apparatus to generate a product catalog
including tax codes for items available for purchase.
17. The computing apparatus of claim 11, wherein the transaction
includes the purchase of an item and the location-dependent
determination includes tax.
18. The computing apparatus of claim 11, wherein the
location-dependent determination includes calculate an
authorization session to access a computer network and the
completing includes granting access to the electronic device to
access the computer network for the session.
19. The computing apparatus of claim 18, wherein the
location-dependent determination includes calculating an amount of
time for the authorization session.
20. The computing apparatus of claim 11, wherein the
location-dependent determination includes calculate a type of
electricity to transmit to a location of the user's electronic
device and the completing includes transmitting the electricity to
the determined location.
Description
FIELD
[0001] The subject matter disclosed herein generally relates to the
technical field of special-purpose machines that determine the
location of a user's device. Once the user's device's location is
determined, determinations that are location-dependent can be
made.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The present subject matter seeks to address technical
problems existing in making determinations based on a user's
location. For example, an IP address of a user's device may
indicate a location of an internet service provider's or mobile
carrier's gateway and not the location of the user device.
Accordingly, a location-dependent determination may be inaccurate
due to the inaccuracy in determined location.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] Some embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not
limitation in the views of the accompanying drawing:
[0004] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a networked system,
according to some example embodiments.
[0005] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing architectural aspects of a
publication system, according to some example embodiments.
[0006] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a representative
software architecture, which may be used in conjunction with
various hardware architectures herein described
[0007] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating components of a
machine, according to some example embodiments, able to read
instructions from a machine-readable medium (e.g., a
machine-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more of the
methodologies discussed herein.
[0008] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing aspects of an online
method for conducting a transaction between a merchant site and an
electronic user device using a payment processor, according to some
example embodiments.
[0009] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a system, according
to some example embodiments.
[0010] FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a method in accordance,
according to some example embodiments.
[0011] FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B illustrate a graphical user interface in
accordance with some embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] "Carrier Signal", in this context, refers to any intangible
medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying
instructions for execution by a machine, and includes digital or
analog communication signals or other intangible media to
facilitate communication of such instructions. Instructions may be
transmitted or received over a network using a transmission medium
via a network interface device and using any one of a number of
well-known transfer protocols.
[0013] "Client Device" or "Electronic Device", in this context,
refers to any machine that interfaces to a communications network
to obtain resources from one or more server systems or other client
devices. A client device may be, but is not limited to, a mobile
phone, desktop computer, laptop, portable digital assistant (PDA),
smart phone, tablet, ultra-book, netbook, laptop, multi-processor
system, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronic
system, game console, set-top box, or any other communication
device that a user may use to access a network.
[0014] "Customer's Electronic Device" or "Electronic User Device",
in this context, refers to a client device that a customer uses to
interact with a merchant. Examples of this device include a desktop
computer, a laptop computer, a mobile device (e.g., smartphone,
tablet), and a game console. The customer's electronic device may
interact with the merchant via a browser application that executes
on the customer's electronic device or via a native app installed
onto the customer's electronic device. The client-side application
executes on the customer's electronic device.
[0015] "Communications Network", in this context, refers to one or
more portions of a network that may be an ad hoc network, an
intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local
area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network
(WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN),
the Internet, a portion of the Internet, a portion of the Public
Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a plain old telephone service
(POTS) network, a cellular telephone network, a wireless network, a
Wi-Fi.RTM. network, another type of network, or a combination of
two or more such networks. For example, a network or a portion of a
network may include a wireless or cellular network, and the
coupling may be a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) connection,
a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) connection, or
another type of cellular or wireless coupling. In this example, the
coupling may implement any of a variety of types of data transfer
technology, such as Single Carrier Radio Transmission Technology
(1xRTT), Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO) technology, General Packet
Radio Service (GPRS) technology, Enhanced Data rates for GSM
Evolution (EDGE) technology, third Generation Partnership Project
(3GPP) including 3G, fourth generation wireless (4G) networks,
Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), High-Speed
Packet Access (HSPA), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave
Access (WiMAX), Long-Term Evolution (LTE) standard, others defined
by various standard-setting organizations, other long-range
protocols, or other data transfer technology.
[0016] "Component", in this context, refers to a device, physical
entity, or logic having boundaries defined by function or
subroutine calls, branch points, application programming interfaces
(APIs), or other technologies that provide for the partitioning or
modularization of particular processing or control functions.
Components may be combined via their interfaces with other
components to carry out a machine process. A component may be a
packaged functional hardware unit designed for use with other
components and a part of a program that usually performs a
particular function of related functions. Components may constitute
either software components (e.g., code embodied on a
machine-readable medium) or hardware components.
[0017] A "hardware component" is a tangible unit capable of
performing certain operations and may be configured or arranged in
a certain physical manner. In various example embodiments, one or
more computer systems (e.g., a standalone computer system, a client
computer system, or a server computer system) or one or more
hardware components of a computer system (e.g., a processor or a
group of processors) may be configured by software (e.g., an
application or application portion) as a hardware component that
operates to perform certain operations as described herein. A
hardware component may also be implemented mechanically,
electronically, or any suitable combination thereof. For example, a
hardware component may include dedicated circuitry or logic that is
permanently configured to perform certain operations. A hardware
component may be a special-purpose processor, such as a
field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specific
integrated circuit (ASIC). A hardware component may also include
programmable logic or circuitry that is temporarily configured by
software to perform certain operations. For example, a hardware
component may include software executed by a general-purpose
processor or other programmable processor. Once configured by such
software, hardware components become specific machines (or specific
components of a machine) uniquely tailored to perform the
configured functions and are no longer general-purpose
processors.
[0018] It will be appreciated that the decision to implement a
hardware component mechanically, in dedicated and permanently
configured circuitry, or in temporarily configured circuitry (e.g.,
configured by software) may be driven by cost and time
considerations. Accordingly, the phrase "hardware component" (or
"hardware-implemented component") should be understood to encompass
a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physically
constructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or
temporarily configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain
manner or to perform certain operations described herein.
Considering embodiments in which hardware components are
temporarily configured (e.g., programmed), each of the hardware
components need not be configured or instantiated at any one
instant in time. For example, where a hardware component comprises
a general-purpose processor configured by software to become a
special-purpose processor, the general-purpose processor may be
configured as respectively different special-purpose processors
(e.g., comprising different hardware components) at different
times. Software accordingly configures a particular processor or
processors, for example, to constitute a particular hardware
component at one instant of time and to constitute a different
hardware component at a different instant of time. Hardware
components can provide information to, and receive information
from, other hardware components. Accordingly, the described
hardware components may be regarded as being communicatively
coupled. Where multiple hardware components exist
contemporaneously, communications may be achieved through signal
transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuits and buses) between or
among two or more of the hardware components. In embodiments in
which multiple hardware components are configured or instantiated
at different times, communications between such hardware components
may be achieved, for example, through the storage and retrieval of
information in memory structures to which the multiple hardware
components have access. For example, one hardware component may
perform an operation and store the output of that operation in a
memory device to which it is communicatively coupled. A further
hardware component may then, at a later time, access the memory
device to retrieve and process the stored output. Hardware
components may also initiate communications with input or output
devices, and can operate on a resource (e.g., a collection of
information).
[0019] The various operations of example methods described herein
may be performed, at least partially, by one or more processors
that are temporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently
configured to perform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily
or permanently configured, such processors may constitute
processor-implemented components that operate to perform one or
more operations or functions described herein. As used herein,
"processor-implemented component" refers to a hardware component
implemented using one or more processors. Similarly, the methods
described herein may be at least partially processor-implemented,
with a particular processor or processors being an example of
hardware. For example, at least some of the operations of a method
may be performed by one or more processors or processor-implemented
components. Moreover, the one or more processors may also operate
to support performance of the relevant operations in a "cloud
computing" environment or as a "software as a service" (SaaS). For
example, at least some of the operations may be performed by a
group of computers (as examples of machines including processors),
with these operations being accessible via a network (e.g., the
Internet) and via one or more appropriate interfaces (e.g., an
API). The performance of certain of the operations may be
distributed among the processors, not only residing within a single
machine, but deployed across a number of machines. In some example
embodiments, the processors or processor-implemented components may
be located in a single geographic location (e.g., within a home
environment, an office environment, or a server farm). In other
example embodiments, the processors or processor-implemented
components may be distributed across a number of geographic
locations.
[0020] "Machine-Readable Medium" in this context refers to a
component, device, or other tangible medium able to store
instructions and data temporarily or permanently and may include,
but not be limited to, random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory
(ROM), buffer memory, flash memory, optical media, magnetic media,
cache memory, other types of storage (e.g., erasable programmable
read-only memory (EPROM)), and/or any suitable combination thereof.
The term "machine-readable medium" should be taken to include a
single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed
database, or associated caches and servers) able to store
instructions. The term "machine-readable medium" shall also be
taken to include any medium, or combination of multiple media, that
is capable of storing instructions (e.g., code) for execution by a
machine, such that the instructions, when executed by one or more
processors of the machine, cause the machine to perform any one or
more of the methodologies described herein. Accordingly, a
"machine-readable medium" refers to a single storage apparatus or
device, as well as "cloud-based" storage systems or storage
networks that include multiple storage apparatus or devices. The
term "machine-readable medium" excludes signals per se.
[0021] "Processor", in one context, refers to any circuit or
virtual circuit (a physical circuit emulated by logic executing on
an actual processor) that manipulates data values according to
control signals (e.g., "commands," "op codes," "machine code,"
etc.) and which produces corresponding output signals that are
applied to operate a machine. A processor may, for example, be a
central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing
(RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC)
processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal
processor (DSP), an ASIC, a radio-frequency integrated circuit
(RFIC), or any combination thereof. Al processor may further be a
multi-core processor having two or more independent processors
(sometimes referred to as "cores") that may execute instructions
contemporaneously.
[0022] In another context, a "Processor" (e.g., processor 514 in
FIG. 5) is a company (often a third party) appointed to handle
payment card (e.g., credit card, debit card) transactions. They
have connections to various card networks and supply authorization
and settlement services to merchants or payment service providers.
In aspects, they can also move the money from an issuing bank to a
merchant or acquiring bank.
[0023] "Card Network" (or "Card Association"), in this context,
refers to financial payment networks such as Visa.RTM.,
MasterCard.RTM.. American Express.RTM., Diners Club.RTM., JCB.RTM.,
and China Union-Pay.RTM..
[0024] "Acquiring Bank" or "Acquirer", in this context, refers to a
bank or financial institution that accepts credit and/or debit card
payments from affiliated card networks for products or services on
behalf of a merchant or payment service provider.
[0025] "Card Issuing Bank" or "Issuing Bank", in this context,
refers to a bank that offers card network or association-branded
payment cards directly to consumers. An issuing bank assumes
primary liability for the consumer's capacity to pay off debts they
incur with their card.
[0026] "Payment Information" includes information required to
complete a transaction, and the specific type of information
provided may vary by payment type. Some payment information will be
sensitive (e.g., the card validation code), while other information
might not be (e.g., zip code). For example, when a payment is made
via a credit card or debit card, the payment information includes a
primary account number (PAN) or credit card number, card validation
code, and expiration month and year. In another payment example,
made using an Automated Clearinghouse (ACH) transaction for
example, the payment information includes a bank routing number and
an account number within that bank.
[0027] "Sensitive information" may not necessarily be related to
payment information and may include other confidential personal
information, such as medical (e.g., HIPAA) information, for
example. The ambit of the term "Payment Information" includes
"Sensitive information" within its scope. In some examples,
sensitive payment information may include "regulated payment
information," which may change over time. For example, currently a
merchant cannot collect more than the first six (6) or the last
four (4) numbers of a customer's PAN without generally needing to
comply with Payment Card Industry (PCI) regulations. But card
number lengths may change, and when they do, the "6 and 4" rules
will likely change with them. These potential future changes are
incorporated within the ambit of "regulated payment information,"
which is, in turn, included within the ambit of the term "payment
information" as defined herein.
[0028] "Merchant", in this context, refers to an entity that is
associated with selling or licensing products and/or services over
electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer
networks. The merchant may be the direct seller/licensor, or the
merchant may be an agent for a direct seller/licensor. For example,
entities such as Amazon.RTM. sometimes act as the direct
seller/licensor, and sometimes act as an agent for a direct
seller/licensor,
[0029] "Merchant Site", in this context, refers to an e-commerce
site or portal (e.g., website, or mobile app) of the merchant. In
some figures, the merchant (e.g., a merchant 502 of FIG. 5) and
merchant servers (e.g., merchant servers 506 of FIG. 5) are
associated with the merchant site. The merchant site is associated
with a client-side application and a server-side application. In
one example embodiment, the merchant site includes the merchant
servers 506 of FIG. 5, and the server-side application executes on
the merchant servers 506.
[0030] "Payment Processor", in this context, (e.g., a payment
processor 510 in FIG. 5) refers to an entity or a plurality of
entities that facilitate a transaction, for example between a
merchant and a customer's electronic device. With reference to a
high-level description illustrated in FIG. 5, in some examples
described more fully below, the payment processor includes selected
functionality of both the payment processor 510 and processor
514/card networks 516. For example, the payment processor 510
creates tokens and maintains and verifies publishable (non-secret)
keys and secret keys. In the illustrated example, the processor
514/card networks 516 are involved in authorizing or validating
payment information. In one example embodiment, the payment
processor 510 and the processor 514/card networks 516 function
together to authorize and validate payment information, issue a
token, and settle any charges that are made. Accordingly, in this
embodiment, "payment processor" refers to the functionality of the
payment processor 510 and the functionality of the processor
514/card networks 516. In another example embodiment, wherein step
(3) in the high-level description is not performed, and the payment
processor 510 performs its own verification before issuing a token,
the processor 514/card networks 516 are still used for settling any
charges that are made, as described in step (7). Accordingly, in
this embodiment, "payment processor" may refer only to the
functionality of the payment processor 510 with respect to issuing
tokens. Further, in the example arrangement shown, the payment
processor 510, the processor 514, and the card networks 516 are
shown as separate entities. In some examples, their respective
functions may be performed by two entities, or even just one
entity, with the entities themselves being configured
accordingly.
[0031] "Native Application" or "native app", in this context,
refers to an app commonly used with a mobile device, such as a
smartphone or tablet. When used with a mobile device, the native
app is installed directly onto the mobile device, Mobile device
users typically obtain these apps through an online store or
marketplace, such as an app store (e.g., Apple's App Store, Google
Play store). More generically, a native application is designed to
run in the computer environment (machine language and operating
system) that it is being run in. It can be referred to as a
"locally installed application." A native application differs from
an interpreted application, such as a Java applet, which requires
interpreter software. A native application also differs from an
emulated application that is written for a different platform and
converted in real time to run, and a web application that is run
within the browser.
[0032] The description that follows includes systems, methods,
techniques, instruction sequences, and computing machine program
products that embody illustrative embodiments of the disclosure. In
the following description, for the purposes of explanation,
numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide an
understanding of various embodiments of the inventive subject
matter. It will be evident, however, to those skilled in the art,
that embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be practiced
without these specific details, In general, well-known instruction
instances, protocols, structures, and techniques are not
necessarily shown in detail. In this specification, the terms
"user", "cardholder", and "consumer" are used interchangeably
unless the context indicates otherwise. 100331 With reference to
FIG. 1, an example embodiment of a high-level SaaS network
architecture 100 is shown. A networked system 116 provides
server-side functionality via a network 110 (e.g., the Internet or
a WAN) to a client device 108. A web client 102 and a programmatic
client, in the example form of a client application 104, are hosted
and execute on the client device 108. The networked system 116
includes an application server 122, which in turn hosts a
publication system 106 (such as the publication system hosted at
https://stripe.com by Stripe, Inc. of San Francisco, Calif. (herein
"Stripe") as an example of a payment processor 510) that provides a
number of functions and services to the client application 104 that
accesses the networked system 116. The client application 104 also
provides a number of interfaces described herein, which present
output of push payment decision routing to a user of the client
device 108.
[0033] The client device 108 enables a user to access and interact
with the networked system 116 and, ultimately, the publication
system 106. For instance, the user provides input (e.g., touch
screen input or alphanumeric input) to the client device 108, and
the input is communicated to the networked system 116 via the
network 110. In this instance, the networked system 116, in
response to receiving the input from the user, communicates
information back to the client device 108 via the network 110 to be
presented to the user.
[0034] An API server 118 and a web server 120 are coupled, and
provide programmatic and web interfaces respectively, to the
application server 122. The application server 122 hosts the
publication system 106, which includes components or applications
described further below. The application server 122 is, in turn,
shown to be coupled to a database server 124 that facilitates
access to information storage repositories (e.g., a database 126).
In an example embodiment, the database 126 includes storage devices
that store information accessed and generated by the publication
system 106.
[0035] Additionally, a third-party application 114, executing on
one or more third-party servers 112, is shown as having
programmatic access to the networked system 116 via the
programmatic interface provided by the API server 118. example, the
third-party application 114, using information retrieved from the
networked system 116, may support one or more features or functions
on a website hosted by a third party.
[0036] Turning now specifically to the applications hosted by the
client device 108, the web client 102 may access the various
systems (e.g., the publication system 106) via the web interface
supported by the web server 120. Similarly, the client application
104 (e.g., an "app" such as a payment processor app) accesses the
various services and functions provided by the publication system
106 via the programmatic interface provided by the API server 118.
The client application 104 may be, for example, an "app" executing
on the client device 108, such as an iOS or Android OS application
to enable a user to access and input data on the networked system
116 in an offline manner and to perform batch-mode communications
between the programmatic client application 104 and the networked
system 116.
[0037] Further, while the SaaS network architecture 100 shown in
FIG. 1 employs a client-server architecture, the present inventive
subject matter is, of course, not limited to such an architecture,
and could equally well find application in a distributed, or
peer-to-peer, architecture system, for example. The publication
system 106 could also be implemented as a standalone software
program, which does not necessarily have networking
capabilities.
[0038] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing architectural details of a
publication system 106, according to some example embodiments.
Specifically, the publication system 106 is shown to include an
interface component 202 by which the publication system 106
communicates (e.g., over a network 110) with other systems within
the SaaS network architecture 100.
[0039] The interface component 202 is communicatively coupled to a
payment processor component 204 that operates to provide push
payment decision routing for a payment processor 510 in accordance
with the methods described herein with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
[0040] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example software
architecture 306, which may be used in conjunction with various
hardware architectures herein described. FIG. 3 is a non-limiting
example of a software architecture 306, and it will be appreciated
that many other architectures may be implemented to facilitate the
functionality described herein. The software architecture 306 may
execute on hardware such as a machine 400 of FIG. 4 that includes,
among other things, processors 404, memory/storage 406, and
input/output (I/O) components 418. A representative hardware layer
350 is illustrated and can represent, for example, the machine 400
of FIG. 4. The representative hardware layer 350 includes a
processor 352 having associated executable instructions 304. The
executable instructions 304 represent the executable instructions
of the software architecture 306, including implementation of the
methods, components, and so forth described herein. The hardware
layer 350 also includes memory and/or storage modules as
memory/storage 354, which also have the executable instructions
304. The hardware layer 350 may also comprise other hardware
356.
[0041] In the example architecture of FIG. 3, the software
architecture 306 may be conceptualized as a stack of layers where
each layer provides particular functionality. For example, the
software architecture 306 may include layers such as an operating
system 302, libraries 322, frameworks/middleware 318, applications
316, and a presentation layer 314. Operationally, the applications
316 and/or other components within the layers may invoke API calls
308 through the software stack and receive a response as messages
312 in response to the API calls 308. The layers illustrated are
representative in nature, and not all software architectures have
all layers. For example, some mobile or special-purpose operating
systems may not provide a frameworks/middleware 318, while others
may provide such a layer. Other software architectures may include
additional or different layers.
[0042] The operating system 302 may manage hardware resources and
provide common services. The operating system 302 may include, for
example, a kernel 320, services 324, and drivers 326. The kernel
320 may act as an abstraction layer between the hardware and the
other software layers. For example, the kernel 320 may be
responsible for memory management, processor management (e.g.,
scheduling), component management, networking, security settings,
and so on. The services 324 may provide other common services for
the other software layers. The drivers 326 are responsible for
controlling or interfacing with the underlying hardware. For
instance, the drivers 326 include display drivers, camera drivers,
Bluetooth.RTM. drivers, flash memory drivers, serial communication
drivers (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB) drivers). Wi-Fi.RTM.
drivers, audio drivers, power management drivers, and so forth
depending on the hardware configuration.
[0043] The libraries 322 provide a common infrastructure that is
used by the applications 316 and/or other components and/or layers.
The libraries 322 provide functionality that allows other software
components to perform tasks in an easier fashion than by
interfacing directly with the underlying operating system 302
functionality (e.g., kernel 320, services 324, and/or drivers 326).
The libraries 322 may include system libraries 344 (e.g., C
standard library) that may provide functions such as memory
allocation functions, string manipulation functions, mathematical
functions, and the like. In addition, the libraries 322 may include
API libraries 346 such as media libraries (e.g., libraries to
support presentation and manipulation of various media formats such
as MPEG4, H.264, MP3, AAC. AMR, JPG, and PNG), graphics libraries
(e.g., an OpenGL framework that may be used to render 2D and 3D
graphic content on a display), database libraries (e.g., SQLite
that may provide various relational database functions), web
libraries (e.g., WebKit that may provide web browsing
functionality), and the like. The libraries 322 may also include a
wide variety of other libraries 348 to provide many other APIs to
the applications 316 and other software components/modules.
[0044] The frameworks/middleware 318 provide a higher-level common
infrastructure that may be used by the applications 316 and/or
other software components/modules. For example, the
frameworks/middleware 318 may provide various graphic user
interface (GUI) functions 342, high-level resource management,
high-level location services, and so forth. The
frameworks/middleware: 318 may provide a broad spectrum of other
APIs that may be utilized by the applications 316 and/or other
software components/modules, some of which may be specific to a
particular operating system 302 or platform.
[0045] The applications 316 include built in applications 338
and/or third-party applications 340. Examples of representative
built in applications 338 may include, but are not limited to, a
contacts application, a browser application, a book reader
application, a location application, a media application, a
messaging application, and/or a game application. The third-party
applications 340 may include any application developed using the
ANDROID.TM. or IOS.TM. software development kit (SDK) by an entity
other than the vendor of the particular platform and may be mobile
software running on a mobile operating system such as IOS.TM.
ANDROID.TM., WINDOWS.RTM. Phone, or other mobile operating systems.
The third-party applications 340 may invoke the API calls 308
provided by the mobile operating system (such as the operating
system 302) to facilitate functionality described herein.
[0046] The applications 316 may use built-in operating system
functions (e.g., kernel 320, services 324, and/or drivers 326),
libraries 322, and frameworks/middleware 318 to create user
interfaces to interact with users of the system. Alternatively, or
additionally, in some systems, interactions with a user may occur
through a presentation layer, such as the presentation layer 314.
In these systems, the application/component "logic" can be
separated from the aspects of the application/component that
interact with a user.
[0047] Some software architectures use virtual machines. In the
example of FIG. 3, this is illustrated by a virtual machine 310.
The virtual machine 310 creates a software environment where
applications/components can execute as if they were executing on a
hardware machine (such as the machine 400 of FIG. 4, for example).
The virtual machine 310 is hosted by a host operating system the
operating system 302 in FIG. 3) and typically, although not always,
has a virtual machine monitor 358, which manages the operation of
the virtual machine 310 as well as the interface with the host
operating system (e.g., the operating system 302). A software
architecture executes within the virtual machine 310 such as an
operating system (OS) 336, libraries 334, frameworks 332,
applications 330, and/or a presentation layer 328. These layers of
software architecture executing within the virtual machine 310 can
be the same as corresponding layers previously described or may be
different.
[0048] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating components of a
machine 400, according to some example embodiments, able to read
instructions 304 from a machine-readable medium (e.g., a
machine-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more of the
methodologies discussed herein. Specifically, FIG. 4 shows a
diagrammatic representation of the machine 400 in the example form
of a computer system, within which instructions 410 (e.g.,
software, a program, an application, an applet, an app, or other
executable code) for causing the machine 400 to perform any one or
more of the methodologies discussed herein may be executed. As
such, the instructions 410 may be used to implement modules or
components described herein. The instructions 410 transform the
general, non-programmed machine 400 into a particular machine 400
programmed to carry out the described and illustrated functions in
the manner described. In alternative embodiments, the machine 400
operates as a standalone device or may be coupled (e.g., networked)
to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine 400 may
operate in the capacity of a server machine or a client machine in
a server-client network environment, or as a peer machine in a
peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The machine 400
may comprise, but not be limited to, a server computer, a client
computer, a personal computer (PC), a tablet computer, a laptop
computer, a netbook, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital
assistant (PDA), an entertainment media system, a cellular
telephone, a smart phone, a mobile device, a wearable device (e.g.,
a smart watch), a smart home device (e.g., a smart appliance),
other smart devices, a web appliance, a network router, a network
switch, a network bridge, or any machine capable of executing the
instructions 410, sequentially or otherwise, that specify actions
to be taken by the machine 400. Further, while only a single
machine 400 is illustrated, the term "machine" shall also be taken
to include a collection of machines that individually or jointly
execute the instructions 410 to perform any one or more of the
methodologies discussed herein.
[0049] The machine 400 may include processors 404 (including
processor 408 and processor 412), memory/storage 406, and I/O
components 418, which may be configured to communicate with each
other such as via a bus 402. The memory/storage 406 may include a
memory 414, such as a main memory, or other memory storage, and a
storage unit 416, both accessible to the processors 404 such as via
the bus 402. The storage unit 416 and memory 414 store the
instructions 410 embodying any one or more of the methodologies or
functions described herein. The instructions 410 may also reside,
completely or partially, within the memory 414, within the storage
unit 416, within at least one of the processors 404 (e.g., within
the processor's cache memory), or any suitable combination thereof,
during execution thereof by the machine 400. Accordingly, the
memory 414, the storage unit 416. and the memory of the processors
404 are examples of machine-readable media.
[0050] The I/O components 418 may include a wide variety of
components to receive input, provide output, produce output,
transmit information, exchange information, capture measurements,
and so on. The specific I/O components 418 that are included in a
particular machine 400 will depend on the type of machine. For
example, portable machines such as mobile phones will likely
include a touch input device or other such input mechanisms, while
a headless server machine will likely not include such a touch
input device. It will be appreciated that the I/O components 418
may include many other components that are not shown in FIG. 4. The
I/O components 418 are grouped according to functionality merely
for simplifying the following discussion, and the grouping is in no
way limiting. In various example embodiments, the I/O components
418 may include output components 426 and input components 428. The
output components 426 may include visual components (e.g., a
display such as a plasma display panel (PDP), a light-emitting
diode (LED) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a projector,
or a cathode ray tube (CRT)), acoustic components (e.g., speakers),
haptic components (e.g., a vibratory motor, resistance mechanisms),
other signal generators, and so forth. The input components 428 may
include alphanumeric input components (e.g., a keyboard, a touch
screen configured to receive alphanumeric input, a photo-optical
keyboard, or other alphanumeric input components), point-based
input components (e.g., a mouse, a touchpad, a trackball, a
joystick, a motion sensor, or other pointing instruments), tactile
input components (e.g., a physical button, a touch screen that
provides location and/or force of touches or touch gestures, or
other tactile input components), audio input components (e.g., a
microphone), and the like.
[0051] In further example embodiments, the I/O components 418 may
include biometric components 430, motion components 436,
environment components 434, or position components 438, among a
wide array of other components. For example, the biometric
components 430 may include components to detect expressions (e.g.,
hand expressions, facial expressions, vocal expressions, body
gestures, or eye tracking), measure biosignals (e.g., blood
pressure, heart rate, body temperature, perspiration, or brain
waves), identify a person (e.g., voice identification, retinal
identification, facial identification, fingerprint identification,
or electroencephalogram-based identification), and the like. The
motion components 436 may include acceleration sensor components
(e.g., accelerometer), gravitation sensor components, rotation
sensor components (e.g., gyroscope), and so forth. The environment
components 434 may include, for example, illumination sensor
components (e.g., photometer), temperature sensor components (e.g.,
one or more thermometers that detect ambient temperature), humidity
sensor components, pressure sensor components (e.g., barometer),
acoustic sensor components (e.g., one or more microphones that
detect background noise), proximity sensor components (e.g.,
infrared sensors that detect nearby objects), gas sensors (e.g.,
gas sensors to detect concentrations of hazardous gases for safety
or to measure pollutants in the atmosphere), or other components
that may provide indications, measurements, or signals
corresponding to a surrounding physical environment. The position
components 438 may include location sensor components (e.g., a
Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver component), altitude
sensor components (e.g., altimeters or barometers that detect air
pressure from which altitude may be derived), orientation sensor
components (e.g., magnetometers), and the like.
[0052] Communication may be implemented using a wide variety of
technologies. The I/O components 418 may include communication
components 440 operable to couple the machine 400 to a network 432
or devices 420 via a coupling 424 and a coupling 422, respectively.
For example, the communication components 440 may include a network
interface component or other suitable device to interface with the
network 432. In further examples, the communication components 440
may include wired communication components, wireless communication
components, cellular communication components, near field
communication (NFC) components, Bluetooth.RTM. components (e.g.,
Bluetooth.RTM. Low Energy), Wi-Fi.RTM. components, and other
communication components to provide communication via other
modalities. The devices 420 may be another machine or any of a wide
variety of peripheral devices (e.g., a peripheral device coupled
via a USB).
[0053] Moreover, the communication components 440 may detect
identifiers or include components operable to detect identifiers.
For example, the communication components 440 may include Radio
Frequency Identification (RFID) tag reader components, NFC smart
tag detection components, optical reader components (e.g., an
optical sensor to detect one-dimensional bar codes such as
Universal Product Code (UPC) bar code, multi-dimensional bar codes
such as Quick Response (QR) code. Aztec code, Data Matrix,
Dataglyph, MaxiCode, PDF417, Ultra Code, UCC RSS-2D bar code, and
other optical codes), or acoustic detection components (e.g.,
microphones to identify tagged audio signals). In addition, a
variety of information may be derived via the communication
components 440, such as location via Internet Protocol (IP)
geo-location, location via Wi-Fi.RTM. signal triangulation,
location via detecting an NFC beacon signal that may indicate a
particular location, and so forth.
[0054] In some embodiments, a JavaScript library can be embedded
into a merchant 502's checkout form to handle credit card
information. When a user attempts to complete a transaction using
the checkout form, it sends the credit card information directly
from the user's browser to the payment processor 510's servers. The
JavaScript library provides merchants 502 with a set of
technologies that can be easily and quickly integrated to securely
accept payments online. With the JavaScript library, merchants 502
retain full control of their customers' payment flows, but their
servers are never exposed to sensitive payment information.
[0055] When added to a merchant's payment form, the JavaScript
library automatically intercepts the payment form submission,
sending payment information directly to the payment processor 524
and converting it to a single-use token. The single-use token can
be safely passed to the merchant's systems and used later to charge
customers. Merchants 502 have complete control of their customers'
payment experience without ever handling, processing, or storing
sensitive payment information.
[0056] Viewed generally in one example, and with reference to FIG.
5, a payment processing flow is now described:
[0057] The merchant's customer 504 uses an Internet-enabled browser
512 to visit the merchant's site. The customer 504 is served a
JavaScript library-enabled payment form 520 using standard web
technologies. The customer 504 enters the specified information
including their payment information 524 and submits the payment
form 520. The billing info portion of the payment form 520 is for
payment via a credit card or debit card. If payment is to be made
via an ACH transaction, the billing info portion of the payment
form 520 will request a bank routing number and an account number
within that bank, and possibly additional information, such as the
bank name and whether the account is a checking or savings
account.
[0058] The customer's payment information 524 is sent from the
customer's browser 512 to the payment processor 510, never touching
the merchant servers 506. In this manner, the client-side
application electronically sends payment information 524 retrieved
from the customer's electronic device to the payment processor 510.
The client-side application does not send the payment information
524 to the server-side application.
[0059] In one preferred embodiment, the payment processor 510
submits the relevant transaction to a processor 514 or directly to
the card network 516 for authorization or validation of the payment
information 524. The card network 516 sends the request to the card
issuing bank 518, which authorizes the transaction. In this
embodiment, the payment processor 510 and the processor 514/card
network 516 function together as a payment processor 510. In
another example embodiment, this step is performed without any
communication to the processor 514/card network 516. Instead, the
payment processor 510 performs its own authorization or validation
of the payment information 524 using heuristic means, such as by
checking the bank identification number (BIN), also referred to as
the issuer identification number (IIN), against a database 126 of
known, valid BINs on file with the payment processor 510. (The BIN
is a part of the bank card number, namely the first six digits.) In
yet another example embodiment, this step is not performed at all
since the authorization or validation is not necessary for the next
step (4) to succeed. That is, it is acceptable to create a
single-use token in step (4) that represents payment information
524 which has not been validated in any way.
[0060] If authorized, the payment processor 510 will generate and
return a secure, single-use token 522 to the customer's browser 512
that represents the customer's payment information 524 but does not
leak any sensitive information. In the example embodiment wherein
step (3) is not performed, the payment processor 510 performs this
step without waiting to receive authorization from the processor
514 or the card network 516. In this manner, the payment processor
510 creates the token 522 from the payment information 524 sent by
the client-side application, wherein the token 522 functions as a
proxy for the payment information 524.
[0061] The payment form 520 is submitted to the merchant servers
506, including the single-use token 522. More specifically, the
payment processor 510 sends the token 522 to the client-side
application, which, in turn, sends the token 522 to the server-side
application for use by the server-side application in conducting
the transaction.
[0062] The merchant 502 uses the single-use token 522 to submit a
charge request to the payment processor 510 (or to create a
customer object for later use). In this step, the payment processor
510 submits a request to authorize the charge to the processor 514
or directly to the card network 516. This authorization specifies
the actual amount to charge the credit card. If an authorization
was already done in step (3) for the correct amount, this
authorization request can be skipped. This may be a one-time
payment for a merchant item, or it may involve registering the
payment information 524 with the merchant site for subsequent use
in making a payment for a merchant item (a so-called "card on tile"
scenario). Using the process described in steps (1) through (6),
the payment information 524 can be used by the server-side
application via the token 522 without the server-side application
being exposed to the payment information 524.
[0063] The payment processor 510 settles the charge on behalf of
the merchant 502 with the processor 514 or directly with the card
network 516.
[0064] The card network 516 causes the funds to be paid by the card
issuing bank 518 to the payment processor 510 or to the payment
processor's acquiring bank 508.
[0065] The payment processor 510 causes the settled funds to be
sent to the merchant 502 (or to the merchant's bank 526), net of
any applicable fees.
[0066] The card issuing bank 518 collects the paid funds from the
customer 504.
[0067] Not all of the steps listed above need happen in real time.
Other examples, arrangements, and functionality are possible.
Applicant's published patent application US 2013/0117185 A1 is
incorporated by reference in its entirety in this regard.
Typically, when the merchant's customer 504 submits the payment
form 520 in step (1), steps (1) through (6) happen in real time and
steps (7) through (10) happen later, usually once per day, as a
batch process settling all of the funds for all of the payment
processor 510's merchants 502. In some examples, the payment
processor 510 uses an HTTP-based tokenization API in steps (2) and
(4) above. Some broader examples may be considered as "tokenization
as a service," in which any data is tokenized. One general example
may facilitate a merger and acquisition (M&A) analysis in which
companies want to compare an overlap in their customer bases. A
payment processor 510 (acting as a tokenization service) can
tokenize the customers 504 of each company and compare the overlap
without revealing confidential information to either party. Unique
payment tokens can be adapted to enable and facilitate such a
tokenization service.
[0068] The As mentioned above, factors that can present technical
challenges include resolving the location of a user's electronic
device so that a location-dependent calculation or determination
can be performed with accurate location data.
[0069] Thus, in some embodiments, a system is provided for
resolving the location of user's electronic device and then
performing a location-dependent calculation. An example system may
comprise a network; one or more hardware processors; and a memory
storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor
among the processors, cause the system to perform operations
comprising, at least: determining a geographic location of a user's
electronic device using first data; in response to determining the
determined geographic location is insufficient for performing a
location-dependent calculation, requesting second data to determine
an updated geographic location of the user's electronic device;
performing, with an API, the location-dependent calculation based
on the updated geographic location; and completing, with the API, a
transaction using the location-dependent calculation.
[0070] FIG. 6 illustrates a system 600 in accordance with one
embodiment. The system 600 includes a server 614 having a Product
Catalog 602 for a merchant, such as merchant 502, and a Payment
Intent API 604. The Product Catalog 602 includes products a
merchant sells (available for purchase). These products will be
attached to individual transaction line items in a customer basket
at a user device 616, which is communicatively coupled to the
server 614, to inform Payment Intent API 604 of how to treat them
for tax purposes. Some product types have reduced tax rates, such
as ebooks in most of Europe. Products with no tax code use a
default from merchant settings--either fully taxable or not
taxable. Example tax codes to apply to products include:
TABLE-US-00001 TAX CODE DESCRIPTION DM201010 Digital Media >
ebooks > Less Than Permanent Use Rights Digital Goods &
Services DM201020 Digital Media > ebooks > Permanent Use
Rights Digital Goods & Services DM201030 Digital Media >
ebooks > Education & Reference Digital Goods &
Services
[0071] The Payment Intent API 604 comprises Tax Rates 606, Location
Determination 608, Tax Determination 610 and Payment Processing
612. In an embodiment, the system 600 can include the payment
processor 510. The Payment Intent API 604 creates an object that
represents a merchant's intent to collect payment from a user of
the user device 616 and tracks the lifecycle of the payment process
through each stage.
[0072] As will be described in further detail below, the Location
Determination 608 determines a location of the user device 616. The
Tax Determination 610 performs a location dependent calculation,
such as calculating sales tax using the determined location and
applying Tax Rates 606 to a product in the Product Catalog 602
based on tax code and/or location. The Payment Processing 612 then
completes a transaction for the taxed product as discussed in
conjunction with FIG. 5 or other methods. For example, displaying
the final (tax) calculation on the user device 616 and accepting
payment input from the user device 616. Accordingly, both tax
calculation and payment can be performed with a call to a single
API instead of to multiple APIs to speed calculation and reduce
communication traffic in the server 614 due to multiple API
calls.
[0073] The Payment Intent API 604 supports both tax inclusive
(expected taxes built into pricing) and tax exclusive (taxes added
after pricing) rates. While tax-inclusive merchants must still
collect information about their end customer's location in order to
accurately calculate rates, this information won't change the total
amount that their customer pays, so merchants can provide tax later
in a payment flow. Conversely, tax-exclusive merchants must collect
information about their customer's location earlier in the flow so
that the Payment Processing 612 can accurately calculate tax rates
for the merchant to display to their end customer before the
customer confirms the payment.
[0074] In an example, the Payment Intent API 604 can include a
TaxRate object having the following fields:
TABLE-US-00002 Field Meaning inclusive Whether this tax is included
in the subtotal price or not. Determined by the tax_behavior of the
price object on each line item. jurisdiction Outside the US: The
country charging the tax In the US/Canada: The state/province
charging the tax percent The base percentage of the tax. This
percentage may not correspond perfectly to the percentage charged,
due to local tax rules. display_name A local display name for this
tax. For certain taxes, this may be the legally mandated display
name (for example French VAT taxes will appear "TVA"). For other
taxes, this is a user-localized version of the tax name (e.g., a
sales may appear as a "taxe de vente" to a French speaker).
tax_type The type of the tax. country The country charging the tax
state In the US/Canada: The state/province charging the tax Outside
the US: Not present
[0075] The Location Determination 608 determines location
initially, in an example, by determining a location associated with
an IP address of the user device 616. This allows for estimating
taxes with no customer friction (requiring no manual input from the
customer). This can be passed to Payment Intent object at creation
or by updating the Payment Intent object. However, IP addresses
will not always provide enough information to perform a location
dependent calculation, such as estimate taxes, so the Location
Determination 608 may request a user's country, Postal Code or full
address instead of or in addition. For example, an initial location
determination (e.g., IP address or via other methods) may yield an
area having different tax rates and therefore require a location
determination with higher resolution to determine accurate tax. For
example, a postal code for initial location determination can yield
several towns each with their own tax rate. An IP address may be
insufficient because if it yields a location of a controlling
agency that the user device 616 is connected to and not the true
location of the user device 616. For example, if the user device
616 is in the northern US, the IP address may show Canada, thereby
requiring further resolution of the location of the user device
616. Accordingly, an IP address indicated a physical location at a
border region will require further resolution by the Location
Determination 608.
[0076] In an example, in order to show taxes on a cart before a
customer enters their payment information, the merchant may collect
a subset of the billing address before collecting the Payment
Method. To do this, the Location Determination 608 will prompt the
user for billing information. FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B show the
transition from an IP address location determination at 802 to a
user-entered billing, address at 804 in a GUI 800. 100781 In order
to maintain clarity that this address is lower priority than the
actual billing address and also not the correct place for
collecting a full billing address when collecting payment
information, the tax billing address allows for less detail than a
full address. The Location Determination 608 will ask for for a
country, postal code and/or state/province in the tax billing
address.
[0077] Alternatively to using the IP address (e.g., if the IP
address is insufficient for the location dependent calculation),
the Location Determination 608 can request that the user device 616
send current location as determined by a global positioning system
(e.g., GPS, GLONASS, etc.) reading by, for example, sending a
request to the user device 616 to call a geolocation API and report
back the result. In another example, the Location Determination 608
can determine current location based on a recent photograph. For
example, the Location Determination 608 can find a recent
photograph of the Eiffel Tower in memory of the user device 616.
search for that image in a database of images (on the server 614 or
elsewhere) with correlated locations and determine that the device
is in Paris, France. In an example, a user may wish to enter an
address different from the location of the user device 616 (e.g., a
shipping address different from a location of the user device
616).
[0078] If the tax amount on a payment changes (e.g., user changes
tax location or the Location Determination 608 resolves location to
be different than an initially determined location), the Payment
Intent API 604 may need to reconfirm the payment by displaying the
updated calculation on the user device 616 and asking the user to
confirm again. When reconfirming a payment, the Payment Intent API
604 may allow the user to change the Payment Method and billing
address, in which case the tax amount may change again, requiring
further reconfirmation.
[0079] In another example, the Payment Intent API 604 can be
employed to provide access to a computer network based on resolved
location. For example, the Location Determination 608 determines
location and the Payment Processing 612 would grant access
(authorization session) based on the location (e.g., access if in
the US and no access if in a foreign country; access if at a
specific building, limited access otherwise; authorized session for
a specific amount of time based on location, etc.). In another
example, the Payment Intent API 604 can be employed to complete a
transaction that transfers fungible goods such as electricity or
oil. For example, electricity could be provided to a building in
which the user device 616 is located.
[0080] FIG. 7 illustrates a method 700 in accordance with one
embodiment. After a user of a mobile device has selected an item
for purchase, the method 700 determines (702) the tax code for the
item based on an entry in the Product Catalog 602. If (704) the
item is not taxable the method 700 ends. Otherwise, the location is
determined (706) via a first method as discussed above. For
example, it initially may be via IP address of the user device 616.
If (708) the determined location is insufficient to perform a
location-dependent calculation (e.g., sales tax calculation) or
determination (e.g., network access), the location is resolved
(710) by using a second method to determine location as discussed
above. This may include, for example, requesting a user of the
device to enter a location or requesting the user's device to send
its location based on a read of a GPS device embedded within the
user device. Next, a calculation/determination is performed (712)
based on the location. For example, a sales tax calculation can be
calculated based on location and tax code indicating how the item
should be taxed. Further, for example, the determination could be
to grant access to a network based on location. Alternatively, for
example, the item could include electricity and the determining
based on location could determine if the location can receive
electricity and/or what type of electricity (e.g., solar, wind,
conventional, etc.). Next, a tax breakout is displayed (714) and
the transaction completed (716), which can include processing
payment for the item, transmitting electricity, granting access to
a network, etc.
[0081] Examples include:
[0082] 1. A method for location-dependent determination,
comprising:
[0083] determining, with one or more processors, a geographic
location of a user's electronic device using first data;
[0084] in response to determining the determined geographic
location is insufficient for performing a location-dependent
determination, requesting second data to determine an updated
geographic location of the user's electronic device;
[0085] performing, with an Application Programming Interface (API),
the location-dependent determination based on the updated
geographic location; and
[0086] completing, with the API, a transaction using the
location-dependent determination.
[0087] 2. The method of example I, wherein the first data is an
Internet Protocol (IP) address of the user's electronic device and
the second data is a postal code entered by a user into the
electronic device.
[0088] 3. The method of any of the preceding examples, wherein the
requesting requests the electronic device's location based on a
global positioning system reading.
[0089] 4. The method of any of the preceding examples, wherein the
requesting requests the user to enter a shipping postal code.
[0090] 5. The method of any of the preceding examples, wherein the
performing the location-dependent determination is further based on
a tax code of an item to be purchased in the transaction.
[0091] 6. The method of any of the preceding examples, further
comprising generating a product catalog including tax codes for
items available for purchase.
[0092] 7. The method of any of the preceding examples, wherein the
transaction includes a purchase of an item and the
location-dependent determination includes tax associated with the
purchase.
[0093] 8. The method of any of the preceding examples, wherein the
location-dependent determination includes calculating an
authorization session to access a computer network and the
completing includes granting access to the electronic device to
access the computer network for the session.
[0094] 9. The method of any of the preceding examples, wherein the
location-dependent determination includes calculating a type of
electricity to transmit to a location of the user's electronic
device and the completing includes transmitting the electricity to
the determined location.
[0095] 10. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising
instructions which, when read by a machine, cause the machine to
perform operations, the operations comprising, at least:
[0096] determining a geographic location of a user's electronic
device using first data;
[0097] in response to determining the determined geographic
location is insufficient for performing a location-dependent
determination, requesting second data to determine an updated
geographic location of the user's electronic device;
[0098] performing, with an Application Programming Interface (API),
the location-dependent determination based on the updated
geographic location; and
[0099] completing, with the API, a transaction using the
location-dependent determination.
[0100] 11. A computing apparatus for location-dependent
determinations, the computing apparatus comprising:
[0101] one or more hardware processors; and
[0102] a memory storing instructions that, when executed by at
least one processor among the processors, cause the system to
perform operations comprising, at least:
[0103] determining a geographic location of a user's electronic
device using first data;
[0104] in response to determining the determined geographic
location is insufficient for performing a location-dependent
determination, requesting second data to determine an updated
geographic location of the user's electronic device;
[0105] performing, with an Application Programming Interface (API),
the location-dependent determination based on the updated
geographic location; and
[0106] completing, with the API, a transaction using the
location-dependent determination.
[0107] 12. The computing apparatus of any of the preceding
examples, wherein the first data is an Internet Protocol (IP)
address of the user's electronic device and the second data is a
postal code entered by a user into the electronic device.
[0108] 13. The computing apparatus of any of the preceding
examples, wherein the requesting requests the electronic device's
location based on a global positioning system reading.
[0109] 14. The computing apparatus of any of the preceding
examples, wherein the requesting requests the user to enter a
shipping postal code.
[0110] 15. The computing apparatus of any of the preceding
examples, wherein the performing the location-dependent
determination is further based on a tax code of an item to be
purchased in the transaction.
[0111] 16. The computing apparatus of any of the preceding
examples, wherein the instructions further configure the apparatus
to generate a product catalog including tax codes for items
available for purchase.
[0112] 17. The computing apparatus of any of the preceding
examples, wherein the transaction includes the purchase of an item
and the location-dependent determination includes tax.
[0113] 18. The computing apparatus of any of the preceding
examples, wherein the location-dependent determination includes
calculate an authorization session to access a computer network and
the completing includes granting access to the electronic device to
access the computer network for the session.
[0114] 19. The computing apparatus of any of the preceding
examples, wherein the location-dependent determination includes
calculating an amount of time for the authorization session.
[0115] 20. The computing apparatus of any of the preceding
examples, wherein the location-dependent determination includes
calculate a type of electricity to transmit to a location of the
user's electronic device and the completing includes transmitting
the electricity to the determined location.
[0116] Although the subject matter has been described with
reference to specific example embodiments, it will be evident that
various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments
without departing from the broader scope of the disclosed subject
matter. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be
regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. The
accompanying drawings that form a part hereof show by way of
illustration, and not of limitation, specific embodiments in which
the subject matter may be practiced. The embodiments illustrated
are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the
art to practice the teachings disclosed herein. Other embodiments
may be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structural and
logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing
from the scope of this disclosure. This Description, therefore, is
not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of various
embodiments is defined only by any appended claims, along with the
full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
[0117] Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be
referred to herein, individually and/or collectively, by the term
"invention" merely for convenience and without intending to
voluntarily limit the scope of this application to any single
invention or inventive concept if more than one is in fact
disclosed. Thus, although specific embodiments have been
illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that any
arrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be
substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is
intended to cover any and all adaptations or variations of various
embodiments. Combinations of the above embodiments, and other
embodiments not specifically described herein, will be apparent to
those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description.
* * * * *
References